Question for old comm guy

This is a question for old comm guy regarding his reply to:
Power Mac G5 will not boot. No Chime, Black Screen, Solid LED.
1534 Views 16 Replies Latest reply: Apr 20, 2011 3:38 PM by old comm guy
     I have the same problem with a Mac G4 graphics. All of your comments were very interesting and helpful to me. My question is regarding the following comment:
          "OK, you shouldn't have an active LED inside the computer, so that may be indicating the problem. Is the LED near the CPUs or is it near the front by the RAM? (This is a definite worry.)"
     My G4 does have an active red LED (c64)on the right side of the bottom DRAM slot. Can you tell me why the worry and what a fix, if any, might be? Thanks in advance for your response.

Maybe the following quote can answer the question:
There is one red LED on the Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics) logic board. It indicates that there is power to the board and does not imply a fault condition. Hardware such as DIMMs and PCI cards should not be installed or removed when the LED is on.
Or this quote:
There are seven diagnostic LEDs on the Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) logic board.
DS1 = ATA drive activity
DS4 and DS5 = USB power for downstream devices (There is no DS2 or DS3 on the board.)
DS6 = Ultra ATA bus activity
DS7 & DS8 = Power Indication
In a working unit, these LEDs should be in sync with each other: both on or both off. If one LED is on and the other is off, there is a problem.
DS9 = CPU Bus
Hope that helps. In the AGP graphics version, the LED is there I guess to keep someone from, say, yanking out a DIMM while the board is powered, or some other not-so-good action.

Similar Messages

A different question for "Old Comm Guy" about that quote for G4 PCI "YIKES" machines, mine has only 5 led's, but do fit the lighting sequence listed.

My G4 400 Mhz PCI "YIKES" machine has only 5 led's, none in DS4 or DS5, nothing there but the un-molested sodlier bumps (never has anything been there), and my lighting sequences are 7 & 8 are on together, the others are dependant upon keystrokes or other demands (mouse, etc.).
There are seven diagnostic LEDs on the Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) logic board.
DS1 = ATA drive activity
DS4 and DS5 = USB power for downstream devices (There is no DS2 or DS3 on the board.)
DS6 = Ultra ATA bus activity
DS7 & DS8 = Power Indication
In a working unit, these LEDs should be in sync with each other: both on or both off. If one LED is on and the other is off, there is a problem.
DS9 = CPU Bus
Now I have a problem that started when I opened the side to check the led's in operation, side was open for 6 or 7 minutes and I got the screen of death, darkened, need restart, multi languages. .... I had just cured the start-up problems I was having for a month, 10 days ago. It was the powered USB hub plugged into the machines back panel, instead of the K/B port, I did have the mouse to the K/B and hub to back of machine, swapped locations and it was fixed, even the dead printer came to life and began printing (hadn't worked for 10 months !!)
What cuased the "screen of death" was traced to a memory dimm / ram stick that died, a PC133, 256MB made by 16X8 (or XB), I swear I wasn't dragging chains over the M/B, or anything really stupid, (I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but not dumb either).
The "death screen" has caued a big headache, very hard to get to Applejack, open firmware, ect., I have, but not with any consistancy, did them, did DU test & verify, all passed "GOOD" or "no problems", all this was done in "safe boot mode", but I can't get to "regular mode" after restart !! ... it just sits on the gray apple screen w/o the spinning gear / wheel for hours !!!
Any ideas would be nice to hear, I plan on doing a re-install or repair / restore from / with the install DVD tomorrow.
And a link to info. of which ram / dimm memory sticks I might use from the other machines I have here, a G3 B&W, G4 QS 800 DP, etc. what will interchange ?, if any ? ........... Thanks for any input you may have, ..... wayne146 .....
I need some sleep, this has given me a massive headache, all because I read that quote and knew my lights didn't quite match it. ..... If only I had not cared, I migth not have gotten in such a bind / blunder, stupid me, I could resist it, I had to look for a compairison.
signing off for a few hours ....... wayne146 ..........

Good Morning, old comm guy,
Well I tried following your instructions to the letter, as best my limited knowledge would take me.
I opened the "terminal window", then "terminal preferences", the proper radio button was already checked for the phrase you indicated, and the insert line / window had "/bin/bash/", grayed out in it, below that is the "declare terminal type" that was set to "xterm color", so I couldn't change the grayed out window, but I could make selections for "declare. term. type" ... I left that as it was at "xterm color".
In the bottom of the Term. Pref. window is a "Open a saved term. file ...." and a window to enter a selection, when I clicked on "select", it open a "finder window" ,<applications> with almost everything grayed out, not knowing what to do, I backed out of the finder window, and also I can't just type a command into the "open a saved term. file" window, it must be done with the select button.
So basically I'm saying this Unix stuff is all Greek to me, I would need more detailed instructions to follow to the letter, for me to get through this with any success.
And this is weird, while I was working in Yahoo mail and here in discussions I was in "Safe Boot" for several hours, with several restarts in "Safe" (the only way I could do anything) I was swapping and checking a few different RAM sticks with the diagnostics in "about this mac" (one had died when watching the led's). the one that died, return to the living & working world, ??????? ..... and this G4 400mhz "YIKES" machine, STARTED FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AGAIN (?????????????) SHUTDOWN W/ K/B BUTTON, RESTART W/ K/B BUTTON, So weird !!!
And anther bit of weirdness is that while the Apple Tech. info says this uses PC 100 sdram, every stick of memory in this machine has stickers on them from different makers saying that they are PC 133 sdram of 256 mb. ??? ..... Can this be true ?, has this thing altered itself or altered the RAM, to work with each other ???
After it started working "properly" (?), both Firefox and Safari crashed many times and often, so I dumped Firefox (3.6.19) and reloaded a fresh FF 3.6.19, as I may have done something to them by accident in my panicing and buggering around, even had a Screen of Death 1 or 2 times, and it restarted with only a push of the front reset button, restarted as if it was just turned on with no problems lurking in it's past. .... Also weird !!! ?????
The New FireFox (3.6.19) hasn't crashed since the new install, that maybe OK now, time will tell, ........ wonder if the wrong ram was causing browsers to crash ???? ... or is the ram wrong ??... why is it working ???
All the Ram stick were bought from "Chris", the Apple Expert @ RE - PC, here in Seattle, he also sold me this YIKES machine, so there was no mistake as to what I wanted the RAM for.
I have a spare G3 B/W 450Mhz machine that also has pc 133 sdram in it as well, same thing with it, bought from "Chris", and the Ram in it too. It only has OS 9.2.2 on it, I need to do the work around to put Tiger 10.4.11 on it. Later .......
Well what do you think ??? ..... It's alot to process, take your time,
Please review this babbling I have put forth, it could be written a little clearer, but I have read it over twice and it makes sense as I read it (of course, I know what I meant when I typed it)......
.........Thanks for your time and help. ........wayne146 ....... (all nighter again, going for a nap, back in 4 - 5 hrs.) ...............wayne146 ........

Upgrade questions for "old"PC?

My father in law owns a Packard Bell iMedia desktop. Inside a MSI main board MS-6511 (identifcation read out by PCmark 04), and AMD Athlon XP1700. Questions:
- Documentation - I could not find the model on this web site. Perhaps this is because it was sold exclusively to Packard Bell? Can anyboady please point me to the doc, or a documentation of a board very close?
- RAM? What specifications of RAM are compatible with the board?
- HDD? At present, the PC contains a Maxtor 40GB (on a IDE100 single-connector cable). Can I hook on a 2nd, larger disk (that most likely has IDE133)?
- CPU: What CPUs is this board compatible with?
Thank you very much indeed for any answers that you can give.

First, thanks guys, your inputs are very appreciated.
I understand that the limitation is BIOS based on not IDE controller....
I put an entry into the Packard Bell notes file. There, the main board is known es Explorer 6511 (http://support.packardbell.co.uk/pri/index.php?PibItemNr=spec_explorer). A user replied that he never saw that PC/main board with more than 80 GB?
From your entry I imply the issue is about handling an address range and if 40GB work then up to 137 GB should as well.
Question 1: Assume murphy's law and what can go wrong will go wrong and I buy this 120GB disk but the capacity is too big for the main board. In that case, could I partition the disk on another computer to twice 60GB?
Question 2: The higher the disk capacity the faster the controller (IDE133) - could this cause a problem if the main board controller is IDE100 or does it just mean not taking advantage of extra bandwidth?
Question 3: Disks come with 2MB cache and 8MB. Does it really matter for that main board / processor / IDE controller - or should I get 8MB in any case assuming that the disk probablysome day will get a 2nd live in another PC?
Thanks again for your advice.
Kind regards,
Hubert.

Another question for Old Toad (or anyone else) about backing up iPhoto

Obviously, I am not understanding what I am supposed to do or see when I try to backup my iPhoto library.
My iPhoto Library folder is in "Pictures".
I have downloaded the "iPhoto db File Backup" and put the icon in the dock.
Now, what do I do to perform the backup? I tried opening iPhoto and highlighting Library in the Source pane, then I tried highlighting all the pictures in the library, then I tried highlighting the iPhoto Library folder in Pictures and clicking the db file backup icon in each case. Nothing happened - at least I don't think anything happened. I was expecting a second folder with the title "iPhoto Library copy" or something like that to appear. What should I look for?
Also, when I opened my iPhoto Library folder, I found the following among the list of all the rolls of photos:
Library.iPhoto
Library6.iPhoto
When I clicked on each of them, my entire library of photos opened along with the following message:
Unreadable files: 1
The following file could not be imported. (The file is in the iPhoto Library folder.)
/Users/my name/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Library6.iPhoto
I don't understand what this means and what I did - or shouldn't have done. If I did something wrong, can I undo it?
Finally, I also saw the following and tried to open them to see what they are, but couldn't. A message window said I had to choose an application that would open them and I didn't know what to choose. What are these three items?
Thumb32Segment.data
Thumb64Segment.data
ThumbJPGSegment.data
I'm keen to backup all the photos I have so would appreciate whatever help/explanations readers can give me with all of this.
Sauble

sauble
What are you trying to back up specifically:
Your Photos Only
or
Your iPhoto Library (this includes Albums, books, slideshows, etc)
or
Your database file.
Old Toad’s wee application is designed to back up the database file only. It’s intended for use when you’re organising the photos in your Library and it’s a handy protection against damage if the app crashes. But it does not back up any photos.
To back up you iPhoto Library:
Make a copy on another disk of the iPhoto Library in your Pictures Folder. Copy it as a single unit. Using a Back Up utility such as DejaVu or Chronosync you can make incremental copies - that is, as you make changes to the Library the original back up is updated. (There are many, many back up utilities: search on MacUpdate.)
To back up your Photos only
Select them in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export, select the version you want (Kind: Original or Kind: Current) and export them to another disk.
Note that none of these involves rooting around in the iPhoto Library itself. There are no user serviceable parts there. Any time you go in there you risk damaging the Library.
Library.iPhoto
Library6.iPhoto
Are the main database files. You’ve done no damage I would guess. There is no way of reading those files unless you’re a programmer.
Thumb32Segment.data
Thumb64Segment.data
ThumbJPGSegment.data
These are cache files. Iphoto needs them but there’s no reason for you to open them. Even if you did they’d make little sense to you.
The iPhoto Library is a bit like under the bonnet in your car. Fine if you know what you’re doing, but a lot of folks are better off staying out of there.
Regards
TD

Question for Old Toad- comment box

Hello, I made a new page for my site and installed th Comment Box from your Demo site, but on Windows PC's the Send form / Reset buttons are missing.
Here is the URL : http://innerspheresmusic.com/News.html
Have you met this before ? It looks OK in Safari on my mac.
Thanks, Kay.

You can publish your site to a folder on the desktop and open it in Safari there to see if the widget's size is large enough to display all the buttons and text.
Click to view full size

LV 5.11 Question for the old timers

For reasons I won't get into here I am using LV 5.11 for this test.
I have a couple arrays that are being initialized properly but not being updated and return to their uninitialized (grayed out) state when the program runs . (Min-Remain and Current State)
Running the trace I see that the main for loop is not being executed.
I don't think I have ever ran into this before.
Any ideas?
Message Edited by RTSLVU on 12-06-2007 11:55 AM
Attachments:
Fp1230 Battery discharge test.vi ‏254 KB

A FOR loop iterates as many times as...
The smallest number of (1) the value wired to N and (2) the size of the smallest autoindexing input array.
You have an autoindexing tunnel containing an empty array (from the unititialized shift register!), thus the iteration count will be zero.
It's not really a question for old timers. This behaves the same even in 8.5 and is correct and expected.
Message Edited by altenbach on 12-06-2007 10:10 AM
LabVIEW Champion . Do more with less code and in less time .
Attachments:
EmptyShifter.png ‏12 KB

I have a new email address and my old email keeps coming up on icloud when trying to update apps and i don't know the password or security questions for the old email. I can sign in with my apple id which is tied to another email but not itunes how to fix

I have an apple id and it has my current email attached to it. however when i go to update apps it's asking for the password for an old email. I no longer have the old email and can't use it. when I go to icloud on my ipad it asks for the password for old email. it doesn't allow me to change the old email to current. when i go to reset it i can't remember the password or security questions for the old email so it doesn't let me go any further. How do I fix this? Do i need to call apple support?

I have the same problem - it is maddening. I rely on this iPad for work so this is not just an annoyance! The above solutions of changing the appleid on the device or on the website do not work.
The old email address no longer exists - I haven't used it in a year probably and I no longer have the account. I logged into the appleid website and there is no trace of the old email address so there is nothing that can be deleted or changed there. On the iPad there is no trace of the old email address so nothing can be deleted there either. I have updated the iPad software and the same problem comes right back. Every 2 seconds I am asked to log in using the old non-existent email. The device is currently useless.
The only recent change to anything was the addition of an Apple TV device, which was set up using the correct login and password.
Does anyone have any ideas? The iPad has been backed up to the iCloud so presumably it now won't recognize the current iCloud account? So restoring may notbe an option?

I am having trouble answering my old security questions for my itunes account and it is creating a problem because I am not able to purchase apps/songs on my new IPAD. What phone number/email adress should I call to get a quick response to my issue?

I have recently bought an IPAD 2 for my girlfriend and have encountered a problem with purchasing apps through my itunes account. It is requesting that I not only enter my pasword (which I know) but answer my old account questions, which I have forgotten the answers to. It had since locked me out of changing my questions for eight hours. Is there any number I can call to prove that I am the real owner of my itunes account so my girlfriend will be able to use her ipad to purchase new apps without having to go through the trouble of using one of my other apple devices? Random information: I believe my questions were set back in 2007 when I purchased my first ipod nano, since then I have used this same itunes account for my own ipod touch and ipad 2 and my girlfriends iphone 1st generation. I have never run into a problem regarding my questions before on any of these devices

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact/

Hi there how are you guys out there of this forum? I got a question for y'a

Hi there how are you guys out there of this forum? I got a question for y’all
I wanted to know how I could record different folders using iTunes
Cause when recorded 2000 thongs on the DVD
There were 2000 songs to go through
So I really wanted to have had folders and then the music recorded inside them
So I could get right to where I wanted real quickly
Could anyone please teach me how to do that real quickly?
Can we do it with iTunes?
I know we can do it with Nero.

1) Go to file, select new playlist. Creat the playlaist.
2) Download your music into iTunes.
NOTE: CHECK 'Recently Added' before you download your music.
If the select boxes has a check in them, turn it off by
holding down the 'ctrl' key and selecting one of the
checked boxes. This shold turn off all the checks.
It would be better to clear 'Resently Add' of all
previous downloads, but I don't know how to do that
yet.
3) under 'PLAYLIST' on the right, select 'Recently Add'.
all of your song should show there with a check in the selection
box.
4)Hold the shift key and select the frist (selete records name),
then the last recorded tune. All of the recordings shouls light
up blue.
5) While holding the 'shift' key, drag one of the records to your new
playlist. All of the blue highlighted song will transfer to the new
playlist.

HI i am user for InDesincc TrialVersion now. i have serious question for all guys in here. at first i installed Indesigncc as korean language but now i need to indesigncc english language installation. and then now i cant translate and changing korean lan

Daniel SterchiHI i am user for InDesincc TrialVersion now. i have serious question for all guys in here. at first i installed Indesigncc as korean language but now i need to indesigncc english language installation. and then now i cant translate and changing korean language interface to english language interface at indesigncc download. so i wonder How i can do that?...i am very seriuos for now....i want indesigncc version for Eng.Language interface. but now i cant do that .i dont konw how i can presented kor. interfacing transite to eng. interface..
forumnotifierHI i am user for InDesincc TrialVersion now. i have serious question for all guys in here. at first i installed Indesigncc as korean language but now i need to indesigncc english language installation. and then now i cant translate and changing korean language interface to english language interface at indesigncc download. so i wonder How i can do that?...i am very seriuos for now....i want indesigncc version for Eng.Language interface. but now i cant do that .i dont konw how i can presented kor. interfacing transite to eng. interface..

First of all, uninstall it with the uninstaller.
Then:
Install the ENGLISH version.
Change the language in the CC app to Korean.
Install the Korean version. (DON't uninstall the English version)
Change back the langauge in the CC app to English.
When your OS is running in English, InDesign will run in English with Korean functionality added, if your OS is running in Korean it will take the Korean User Interface, so let your OS run in English.
Every installer language will add needed plugins for the work with that language. E.g. If I install Hebrew, I get RTL functionality in German version, only if I would change the OS language it would change the language of InDesign, InDesign takes always as UI language the language of the OS if available, if not (in your case you have uninstalled English before), it takes any version which is available in the order of languages specified in the OS.
If you need to run your program in a different language than the OS but you have installed it in the language of the OS it becomes more difficult. You would have to use some system tools which are able to force a program to open with a different language. Most of those tools are freeware.

Question for CL Forum Ad

I have been reading through this forum and there seems to be no shortage of upset customers. They all seems to be asking the same questions over and over again, and the only answer given is, "I'll post more information when I get it".
Now, I'm not a real tech savvy guy, but why is it not possible, to walk over to the desk of the head developer, and say, "Hey Steve, can you tell me why the new drivers are the same as the beta ones?"
And then walk back to your PC and type the answer here. I mean lets be honest, unless you are sending messages via snail mail, I don't understand why this is so hard to do. I suspect you HAVE the answers, but the big cheese at CL has told you to simply deflect the questions for now.
What I am trying to say is that by you saying you'll post information when you get it, does nothing but make your company look completely rag tag. It gives the impression that everyone just works part time from home, and they only meet every other Saturday for a softball game. There is no official statements from CL, you guys don't have any answers, no one knows when anything is being released or what it'll have in it...it just seems like the company is in shambles.
And this brings me to my second question. While you're slow to respond to questions about why things aren't working and such, but you are quicker than a fat man chasing a rolling donut down the street when someone advertises another brand, so my question is what do YOU recommend we do?
Can you suggest some solutions for all of the people who bought CL cards and have no working drivers? I would really appreciate if you didn't simply ignore, or skirt around this question.
I think it's time you threw us a bone here, if you're not going to give us any information, then at least give us some other alternati'ves.

Dude, honestly, I could care less what happened 0 years ago. I have said it before and I'll say it again for you, just because this type of thing keeps happening doesn't mean it's right.
When I buy a product from a company I don't do it thinking, "Hey, maybe if I buy this product then the $200 will help them become the best company in the world, and I don't care if it works or not, I just like the feeling of supporting companies in the hopes they'll do well!"
I buy products, and I expect them to work.
Regardless, if you had actually read my post, you would see that I'm not asking when the drivers will be out, or why they aren't... I am asking why this "world leader" in sound cards can't communicate effecti'vely with it's customers? I am asking why the Admins keep saying the same old mumbo jumbo, and expect us to buy that they can't actually just go talk to the people in charge.
I am also asking if they can't tell me that information, then help me find some alternati'ves.
So, why don't you paypal me a few hundred dollars for a new sound card. You seem to have no problem sitting there giving your sound card "high fi'ves" and talking to it in a sweet voice, "Don't worry little sound card, I know you have amazing potential, I won't give up on you!"
"Do you remember the old days of Windows 2000?" We then cut to a montage of you running through fields of flowers hugging your sound card and a copy of Windows 2000. You shake your fingers at them and say, "Not yet little guys, soon we'll all be together in harmony, we just have to wait!!"

Please read my question carefully, this is, I think, a question for the experts. It's not the usual name change question. When I setup my new MacBook Pro, something slipped by me and my computer was named First-Lasts-MacBook-Pro (using my real first and

Please read my question carefully, this is, I think, a question for the experts. It's not the usual name change question.
When I setup my new MacBook Pro, something slipped by me and my computer was named First-Lasts-MacBook-Pro (using my real first and last name).
I changed the computer name in Preferences/Sharing to a new name and Preferences/Accounts to just be Mike. I can right click on my account name, choose advanced, and see that everything looks right.
However, If I do a scan of my network with my iPhone using the free version of IP Scanner, it lists my computer as First-Lasts-MacBook-Pro! And it lists the user as First-Last.
So even though another Mac just sees my new computer name, and my home folder is Mike, somewhere in the system the original setup with my full name is still stored. And it's available on a network scan. So my full name might show up at a coffee shop.
Can I fully change the name without doing a complete re-install of Lion and all my apps?

One thought... you said the iPhone displayed your computer's old name? I think that you must have used the iPhone with this computer before you changed the name. So no one else's iPhone should display your full name unless that iPhone had previously connected to your Mac. For example, I did this exact same change, and I use the Keynote Remote app to connect with my MacBook Pro. It would no longer link with my MacBook Pro under the old name, and I found that I had to unlink and then create a new link under the new name. So the answer to your question is, there is nothing you need to do on the Mac, but rather the phone, and no other phone will display your full name.

Smart quotes sometimes wrong way round after a question mark or comma

I'm finding that Pages frequently puts the direction of the final smart quote in a piece of dialogue the wrong way round. I use a single speech mark (apostrophe) at start and finish of speech. This seems to happen most after a question mark or comma. Anyone know why, or how to fix it? Doesn't happen in Word! Thanks.

Which language is your computer set to?
Have you set the system preferences for smart quotes?
System preferences > Language and text > Text
Here is what it looks like on my computer with Snow Leopard

Please answer a programming question for an admin

I'm not a programmer (although my interest is growing), so I can't answer this question in a discussion regarding how Win32API w/OLE and COM is SO much better than programming for Unix/OS X applications.
The original discussion was in regards to OS X's superior Unix based security, he devolved to this. Having only begun my venture into programming, his questions are a little above my head at this point. I'm also interested (as an amature programmer), how this would be accomplished in OS X/Unix.
Thanks in advance.
Here's his position:
*(1st entry)*
I have unsed Windows and many flavors of Unix and I have written programs in Assembler, Fortran, Pascal, Cobol, RPG, Smalltak, Basic, PowerBuilder, Delphi, C, C++, C#, Java, and Perl, and I have been programming for over 20 years, so I do have extensive knowledge about programming.
So I have one question for you:
If you had to build a business application that has to allow users to, spell and grammer check, and perform financial calculations, and render the HTML, how would you compare the effort to do this in Windows versus that in Linux, AIX, Solaris or any other Unix operating system?
I can make this business application have these features in ONE DAY on Windows, because COM and OLE lets me, use Word to spell and grammer check, Excel to do the financial calculations, and IE to render the HTML!
I make my living building complex customized business software, and Windows allow me to build these applications by myself in weeks, when it would take me and a team of programmers months to do these same things in Unix because of the lack of an the Win32 API, COM, and OLE, or I would have to BUY third party libraries that did these things, and deal with the licensing, versioning, and vendor problems that go with them, and none of those third party librabries would be close to Word, Excel, and IE in CAPABILITY!
HONESTLY tell me and others reading this thread how you would go about create the customized business application I described above by yourself in a Unix instead of Windows, and tell us how many MONTHS or YEARS it would take you, or how you would have to BUY some other third party libraries to do what Word, Excel, and IE!
Anyone who thinks a Unix has more CAPABILITIES than Windows, has never used Win32API/COM/OLE/.Net, and does not build customized complex business software for a living, because we people that do are the reason that you find some much customized business desktop software for Windows, and so little for any Unix.
I have nothing against Unix, and it is great for simple business tasked server software, but for complex business tasked desktop software Windows with Win32API/COM/OLE/.Net wins hands down!
*(2nd Entry)*
A System administrators view of an operating system and an application developers view are entirely different, and the Win32API/COM/OLE/.NET simply make my job so much easier, and you simply don't understand because you do not have to deal with the "dirty' details of making what a user wants, which is why your definition of "integration" and mines are totally different!
With the spell check you talked about, how will you keep in in synch with the dictionary in Word where the user is constantly adding and removing words?
No, you would have the user to have to maintain two different spell check dictionaries, and you would totally ignore the grammer check requirement!
Cutting and pasting data between applications is simple integration, and not the complex type that I am talking about.
Can you make your application display and use the MacGourmet menus appear in its own window, and to access and use the MacGourmet functionality (ie. search for a recipe) in its own window?
Give me one example of a Unix application that can display the menus of another application, yet alone control its features!
Of course you can't, because you need COM and OLE!
I am quite familiar with different flavors of Unix, but those operating systems do not have the rich API and program integration features namely COM and OLE that Windows has, because it violates the Unix idea of security by process isolation!
Yes that idea of process isolation keeps the operating system safe from malicious code in applications and from one application taking the others down, but you lose the power of programs working together, and you simply cannot build the type of customized business applications that I build by myself, without reinventing the wheel over and over and without having a large team with lots of programmers.
For example, my customers and millions of others spend all day working in Word and Excel, and the Windows idea that I can transparently integrate my complex business applications right in Word and Excel menu, and into their templates and macros, is why third party developers like me prefer Windows over Unix, regardless of how much better security in Unix is.
Do not get me wrong, Java improves business application development on Unix, but unfortuantely it is not feasable to rewrite ever legacy application in Java, and Java does not integrate well with other programming languages.
I used to code business application for both IBM MVS and Sun Solaris, and I never want to go back to those "bad" old days again, once I took the time to learn how to PROPERLY code using Win32API/COM/OLE/.NET!

At risk of feeding the troll I'll wander in here:
NOTE: Since this is an Apple programming boards and I have limited experience programming on traditional Unix systems (and most of that in college) I will confine my answers to the area I know.
If you had to build a business application that has to allow users to, spell and grammer check, and perform financial calculations, and render the HTML, how would you compare the effort to do this in Windows versus that in Linux, AIX, Solaris or any other Unix operating system?
I can make this business application have these features in ONE DAY on Windows, because COM and OLE lets me, use Word to spell and grammer check, Excel to do the financial calculations, and IE to render the HTML!
Note that this scenario assumes the user has Microsoft office installed. The person argues that they don't have to purchase libraries to program but what they are effectively doing is simply transferring that cost to user. I don't have to purchase libraries but everyone of my users needs to. Good for you, very good for Microsoft but bad for your customer - IMHO. OK, I know "But all Windows business users have Office installed already." When it comes free with the system then I'll retract my objection.
Under OS X and Cocoa many of these functions are intrinsic to the system layer and do not require any applications to be installed. Using Cocoa you can write a simple Word processor that has rulers, full font manipulation (including kerning, spacing and leading), Document Save and Load, Printing, Export to PDF as well as spell-checking in under 10 lines of actual code. Adding a custom file type and icon for full system integration will add another 5 minutes to your programing.
In case you think I'm blowing smoke here is a tutorial from 2002 (yes, this has been possible for over 5 years) outlining the 8 line Word Processor build in Cocoa. http://www.stone.com/TheCocoa_Files/What_s_sofunny.html
And yes, Cocoa also includes Webkit so I can add full HTML rendering by dragging in a WebKit window to my user interface. For an experienced Cocoa programmer this certainly sounds like less than a day of programming - in fact it sounds like a good tutorial for a middle-experienced training day or 2 day class in Cocoa.
I won't include the link to the 1 line web browser you can build in Cocoa using Webkit because it's shorter than the description. Feel free to search for it if you want to.
HONESTLY tell me and others reading this thread how you would go about create the customized business application I described above by yourself in a Unix instead of Windows, and tell us how many MONTHS or YEARS it would take you, or how you would have to BUY some other third party libraries to do what Word, Excel, and IE!
BUT this is all done from the stock system that is on every OS X computer not simply those with Office installed. Obviously you'd need to add some features that were more complicated than this - because any halfway decent programmer could turn this stuff out - and polish takes a while but to meet the requirements of the challenge it would take 2 days tops.
Is every *nix programming environment like this? I don't know I can only answer for the system that I have experience with and is the concern of this board. If you really have questions regarding *nix programming then I suggest you find an appropriate board and troll^H^H^H^H^H ask there.
If you're ever serious about programming on the Mac feel free to stop by and actually take a look at it. I think you'll be surprised.
=Tod

SOME SIMPLE QUESTIONS FOR ALL OF YOU

hi,
I have some questions for all of you.
1. Oracle uses cgi (even asp!!! I've seen an asp page somewhere on an Oracle's site but this moment I don't remember where perhaps it is asp->cgi). Why ?
Oracle doesn't support their techologies
(Pl/SQL, Jsevlets,XML) ?
2. Oracle says that has just released a
new product for mobiles called "Portal2Go".
I tried to install this product on NT with OAS 4.8.1.
I had many problems during the installation and after many tries finally I did it(thanks God). but the problems continue...
many Jsp errors (from the "tested" supplied apps). My question is:
a. This product is in an early stage (many installation errors.. just a baby) and I think is stable for Sun Solaris but not on NT.
b. You Oracle "experts" (i.e. oracle staff, NOT YOU guys) tell me ONE advantage to use you product (I'm an oracle developer for 6 years now):
You say that I can PORT my existing app in any device and Web (through XML). This is a joke. Mobiles,PalmPCs,Web etc. have different requirements (content,display etc).The scope is different.. so this is absolutely FALSE (to use a boolean).
This release is user unfrienlty. Why.. tell me WHY to pay for a product and for extra hardware (read the product technical reqs!!) to do the SAME THINK
I do NOW with existing sources.
I've developed an app for my company's employees using existing version of DB (8.0.5),pure pl/sql and a WAP GATEWAY.NOTHING LESS NOTHING MORE.
please answer. Any comment welcomed...
maybe I'm wrong maybe I'm not.
PS.WHERE THE WAP GATEWAY/SERVER IS. I searced the cd and..nothing :-) ?
thanks
thanasis j.a.
B.A. in Informatics
M.Sc. in IS

Portal-to-Go is a wireless portal server, the first version was released November 1999.
The problems you describe that mobiles, Palm devices, etc all have different characteristics is one of the key reasons for Portal-to-Go. It allows any service to be displayed on any device by generating content in an appropriate format for specific devices. This way you can take into consideration the size of the screen, the display characteristics, etc.
It is 'stable' on Solaris and NT, though it is true that the installation procedure of the CD is for Solaris only. The product is not currently available on OTN, so the installer restrictions should have been explained to you when you obtained the CD.
Why Portal-to-Go? Here's three reasons:
1. Inherent problems of the User Interface for a wireless device, so we provide a way personalise the UI to improve navigation and allow commonly used parameters to be saved as stored preferences through the portal.
2. Differences in the characteristics between wireless devices make it hard to support all type without re-creating content and applications for each specific case. With Portal-to-Go, the same service can be accessed from any device.
3. Lack of content available for WAP and other wireless devices. We have tools to quickly create wireless services from existing Web sites as well as an application platform for creating new Java or database applications for wireless devices.
You are correct that the product does not have a WAP gateway.
I'm not sure where you are located, but feel free to contact me offline. I can answer any specific questions, or get you contact with a local Oracle representative.
At the moment, if anyone wants to obtain a copy of Portal-to-Go, you should contact your local Oracle representatives.
Paul

Question for old comm guy

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